Took a client here after closing a major quarter deal. You can't beat the classic Chicago…read moresteakhouse atmosphere. The bone-in ribeye was cooked to an absolute perfect medium rare. It's definitely on the pricey side, but the service is impeccable and they don't rush you out the door. Great spot for business dinners

I had a great lunch experience here yesterday!…read more I am visiting friends in Chicago and we had a reservation yesterday. We were seated right away and the service was quick and efficient! I had the lychee martini and grilled chicken sandwich. The martini was delish and full of flavor. I loved the chicken sandwich! The crispy onion strings and buffalo aioli were a great addition. And I loved the fries it came with! Overall, loved lunch and will definitely be back next time I'm in Chicago!

Yes, this place hits all the marks very well: service is astounding, food was amazing, ambiance was…read morereally fun (i.e., dark, romantic, lounge-like). I took my wife here for her birthday. She absolutely fell in love with the place and said she was having a great birthday. She wasn't planting seeds, I swear, but our server, ever the professional, said he'd take care of us. And he did, punctuating our dinner with a wonderful dessert with a birthday candle. Speaking of candles, the focaccia appetizer came out with a lit candle that melts a tasty, buttery dipping sauce. I had work done at the dentist earlier, so I had a hard time eating. Every bite was painful, but I heated up our leftovers and fell in love with my rigatoni with vodka sauce all over again. Yum. The only drawback is the prices. We're not rich, but we love a great experience. We understand that an experience like that comes with a price, so we'll be back as much as we can.

First off, what you're getting for your money just doesn't gel…read more I dont mind paying an exuberant amount for food if the food matches the price but sadly it doesn't here.... The good: Salad was amazing with bits of nicely cooked pork belly mixed in and the salad dressing is to die for Focaccia bread was very good but nothing special but the bone tarrow butter was fantastic and carried this bread. Brussel sprouts were flavorful but greasy and overcooked... Beef cheek ragu noodle dish was heavy yet tasty.. Rib eye steak done medium rare was fatty and very very chewy so this was a complete fail, but seasoned very well...extra 10 bucks for some dipping sauce for the steak but worth getting to elevate the steak...Definitely don't do any steak under medium here... Lemon sorbet was the true winner of the night...Delicious without being too tart..... Overall like I said, not worth the $250 price tag before tip...._

I had the pleasure to dine at Penumbra on a Thursday evening. We were celebrating a graduation and…read morethe staff were very welcoming when we arrived. I was visiting from out of town and was not familiar with the parking around the area. I asked one of the staff members and immediately they reassured me that the side street would raking was totally fine to park just so long as it wasn't the front of the building where you have to pay. The food started with a complementary potato soup which was flavorful and lovely. We got a round of drinks and one of our party didn't care for her drink and it was replaced no question. We had the flat iron steak, the chicken, and the salmon and each entree was wonderful. The proteins were all very tender and juicy. I was also very pleased with the salad that came first which was lightly dressed and very seasonal. We finished our dining experience with a slice of cheesecake. It was a nice cap to the end of a wonderful meal. I would recommend this restaurant for any occasion - I would love to come back and try some of the other items on their menu.

**Hidden gem!!!**…read more Penumbra is SUPER sexy and low-key elite. This is one of those spots that will make you look like a total restaurant pro if you take someone there or recommend it. The ambiance is intimate, romantic, and just feels exclusive without trying too hard. I took my girl there for her birthday and she absolutely loved it -- which is always the real test. We had the ribeye and the Rotini Bianco, and both were excellent. The ribeye was cooked perfectly, tender and flavorful. The Rotini Bianco was rich, creamy, and done just right. Every dish felt intentional and well executed. Don't hesitate to book. If you're trying to impress or celebrate something special, this is the move.

We had no intention of eating here, it just happened by accident because we found two seats at the…read morebar and wanted a drink. Perilla is a tastefully decorated restaurant, both loungey and rich, but still makes you feel like the joint is all for you. You know, 5 star service is such a lost art, it makes you forget how much you miss it when all of a sudden it happens to be right in front of you. Ricardo, our bartender, what a gem. Forget about the perfectly made drinks that were served to us. Ricardo made us feel right at home with his kind disposition and friendly demeanor. But it doesn't just stop at Ricardo. Everyone was absolutely fantastic. We could have been served 7-11 sushi at this point and I still would have left 5 stars. Food time. The kimchi pork dumplings were an absolute flavor bomb and that parmesan broth gave the dumplings a little extra kick that took it to the next level. Plus, I love when the dumpling wrapper has a little chew to it and isn't this soft mush that dissolves in your mouth. The beef fat frites were a nice treat as well. They were not extra or over the top in anyway. But you can tell when something is done well and correctly, just like these fries were. The Premium Steakhouse Set, in my opinion, is all two people need to enjoy this very special experience. All the accompanying condiments were exceptional on their own and could have functioned as their own course. The Japchae glass noodles were a stunner. The real sleeper was the chopped lettuce greens tossed in their chili vinaigrette. Could have eaten 20 bowls of those lettuce greens. Sadly, I forgot the name of our server who cooked and cut our meat for us. She really added to the experience. She expertly prepared our food while maintaining a fun and pleasant conversation with us. The meat itself, my goodness, tender, smoky, quality-forward, and perfect served with the condiments. What a spectacular meal and overall experience.

I stopped by Perilla for a quick appetizer and a drink. It had been a long day, and I just wanted…read moresomething satisfying before heading home. I had just left the hotel across the street and wasn't exactly sure what I was in the mood for. I've walked past this place plenty of times but had never gone inside. Today felt like the right opportunity. I wasn't looking for a full meal, just a couple of small plates and a chance to unwind. The restaurant itself is beautifully designed. Even though I arrived about an hour before closing on a Saturday night, it was still busy, which is usually a good sign. The hostess greeted me right away and told me the wait would only be a few minutes. My server was excellent and made me feel welcome from the moment I sat down. I ordered the Brussels sprouts, the Korean fried chicken, and another appetizer that is admittedly difficult to describe, but it was delicious. Overall, the food was very good. The Brussels sprouts and the other appetizer were the standouts of the meal. The only dish that didn't quite measure up for me was the Korean fried chicken. It wasn't bad by any means, but it didn't have the same wow factor as the rest of the meal. That's really the reason for my three-star rating. Had I skipped the chicken, this easily would have been a four-star experience. The atmosphere, service, and most of the food were excellent. I just expected a little more from what should have been one of the restaurant's signature dishes.

Delicious! And the service is the best in the city! Always ask for Hernan, Dario and/or Jovanny for…read morethe greatest experience. My friends and I love the place for the ambiance and the vibes.

We came in from Portland Oregon to see a concert and do Chicago things. A coworker recommended…read moreMaple and Ash to me and I made my reservations! From the moment we stepped out of the Uber, we were met with the kindest and friendliest staff we have come across in a long time! There's an elevator guy too?! Holy cow the food was outstanding, the drinks were on point and our server was top tier! She gave us the low down on the IDGAF which we would have ordered if we didn't have to fly back home the next morning because we knew there would be A LOT of leftovers. We had a plan B in place and that was the filet mignon and we shared sides of roasted mushrooms and potatoes au gratin. Definitely recommending Maple and Ash to friends if they ever visit Chicago!

Joe's Seafood in Chicago has an unusual amount of personal history for me. It opened as a…read morepartnership between Miami Beach's iconic Joe's Stone Crab and Lettuce Entertain You, bringing South Florida to Grand and Rush. I first went when it was still a huge, buzzy Chicago spot, and one of my most memorable dinners came after my high school graduation in 2003. I even got a speeding ticket on Lake Shore Drive with my grandmother in the back seat on the way to dinner, which still makes me laugh. Chicago was an especially fun place for Joe's to arrive. Open outcry trading was still a force, and the wealth creation around it was wild: people who had dropped out of high school could become millionaires in their twenties, while math PhDs from the University of Chicago could make fortunes in the same ecosystem. It was a golden era for hustle culture, when commerce idolized Tony Montana in a way that today is more likely to idolize Jamie Dimon or David Solomon. Death Row and Bad Boy ruled the airwaves, while Michael, Shaq, Kobe, and Allen Iverson defined the NBA. Basketball was so dominant in Chicago culture during my coming of age that I still map other things, including restaurants, to NBA teams. Joe's felt like the Miami Heat coming to Chicago in much the same way Smith & Wollensky represented the New York Knicks: each brought a recognizable piece of its hometown culture into another major city. Joe's brought real South Florida sizzle to Chicago, and it landed at exactly the right moment. Going there felt like an occasion. Florida took longer for me to understand in full. My family has roots in the state going back decades, farther north along the Atlantic coast, and I didn't visit Miami until March 2007, when my sister started graduate school in Coral Gables. That trip began my love affair with Miami and helped me understand why the original Joe's was such an institution. A close family friend's father spent time around Miami in the 1960s and 1970s. He knew local fishermen who caught stone crabs, which gave me an appreciation for the older South Florida culture around the food, separate from Joe's own history. Another Joe's memory captures an entirely different moment. Looking through my OpenTable history, my July 31, 2008 reservation at Joe's in Chicago is the earliest reservation I can find at a restaurant that is still open today. I was 23, working at UBS, preparing to move to New York while the firm was already on fire from its mortgage losses, and Lehman would file for bankruptcy just weeks later. I was broke but wildly aspirational, dreaming about dinners at Balthazar, begging my way past the doors at Cain and Tenjune, hoping to drink for free, and trying to meet women comically far out of my league. Through all of those memories, the restaurant itself has been remarkably consistent. The stone crab claws are incredible, the seafood is excellent, and Joe's holds its own among Chicago's serious steakhouses. The room has traditionally felt a little more formal than Miami, with bow ties, polished service, and a darker old-school steakhouse rhythm, while still being genuinely welcoming. Finish with the key lime pie. Years later, my wife and I held our wedding reception at RPM Seafood, another Lettuce restaurant, then ate at the original Joe's during our honeymoon in Miami during COVID days later, which felt like a fitting circle back. In sheer range of venues, repeatability of quality and atmosphere, and consistency of hits, Lettuce is the gold standard in Chicago, with some of that same reach in Vegas and DC. I've been extraordinarily privileged in my exposure to hospitality, and I still repeatedly admire Rich Melman's model, taste, and execution, now carried forward by the next generation of the family. Joe's is a prime example: world-class, durable, unmistakably Chicago, and absolutely somewhere I want to return next time I'm in town with some dough to spend. While Joe's may not be French, this place still earns my highest marks: très bien!

Had dinner at Joe's last week...service is still excellent and the restaurant is still great…read moreoverall, but the food has definitely declined in quality unfortunately. The baked potatoes and other sides were still delicious but the steaks came out dry and overcooked. The quality was very much lacking. Our waiter was kind enough to remake both steaks, which was very much appreciated and the second round was better but still not as good as we remembered. We'll likely return ... hopefully this was just a one time problem?

Had a really nice lunch at Boucherie last week…read more Service was top notch! Food was excellent (both the bread and the ratatouille were highlights for me). We also ordered the French Onion Soup and French Dip which my husband and dad said were delicious. Location is great, and ambiance is beautiful. Prices are reasonable! I'd return if in the area again.

Delicious food and cocktails. Our server was fantastic, I can't recall her name but she was a gem,…read morefriendly, efficient. We had the escargot and the Parisienne gnocchi and they were great. Live piano music on a Sunday evening was a lovely touch. This was my first visit but I'd certainly come back. Lovely, elegant surroundings and a good time overall.

Had a reservation with two friends from out of town and had the pleasure of being with Vivian…read more Amazing service, so sweet and funny, very thoughtful. and we got free cookies! we got sat in a little private booth in the back, so quiet. will def come back again and again :)

The next brunch spot you have to try in Chicago is The Dearborn! The aesthetic here is upscale…read moreIrish tavern, with amazing vibes and service! I came here for brunch & most definitely need to come back for dinner! Their fish & chips beat Bobby Flay, & it's no surprise they did! This dish is perfection! The cod is fresh & flaky, and the batter has just the right crisp. The dish itself is huge & all the accompaniments are exactly what you want. The beignets are so fluffy and great for sharing a sweet treat to start or end your meal. The corned beef hash is packed with traditional Irish flavors and tastes delicious! You need to come here asap!